Trump says if he loses to Harris, "Jewish people would have a lot to do" with it
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Republican presidential nominee former President Trump delivers remarks at the Israeli-American Council National Summit at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Former President Trump said at a D.C. event on combating antisemitism that "any Jewish person" who votes for Vice President Kamala Harris "should have their head examined."
The big picture: Trump received a warm reception at the "Fighting Antisemitism in America" event, but he was accused outside of the summit of "dangerous antisemitism" for saying "if I don't win this election," then "the Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss."
- Trump spoke at two events in D.C. Thursday ahead of the first anniversary of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel that sparked a war in Gaza that's killed more than 40,000 Palestinians and 1,600 Israelis.
- He pointed to having a Jewish daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren as he sought to court the Jewish vote.
State of play: "If I don't win this election — and Jewish people would have a lot to do with that, 60% are voting for the enemy — Israel will cease to exist in two years," Trump said at the Israeli-American Council event.
- "If I do win, Israel will be safe and secure, and we'll stop the toxic poison of antisemitism."
Zoom out: Harris had the backing of 65% of Jewish voters in a Pew Research Center poll that was conducted from Aug. 26 to Sept. 2.
The other side: Morgan Finkelstein, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, in a statement to media pushed back on Trump's claims and said the Democratic presidential nominee "stands steadfastly against antisemitism both at home and abroad and will do the same as president."
What they're saying: Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, an American Jewish nonprofit organization that advocates for progressive and liberal policies, on X said Trump's speech on Jewish people voting for Harris was "advancing this antisemitic trope."
- "Stop dividing Jews into 'good' and 'bad' camps," she wrote. "Stop labeling those who don't support you as crazy or disloyal. Stop playing into dual loyalty tropes. All of it makes Jews less safe."
Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday in response to criticism of his remarks that the Republican presidential nominee "did more for Israel than any American President in history."
- She cited his overseeing of the Abraham Accords, moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, the U.S. killing top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, ending the Iran nuclear deal, and said he had combatted anti-Semitism in the U.S., "especially on college campuses," and abroad.
- "All of the progress made by President Trump in the region has been unraveled by Kamala Harris' weakness and America Last policies," Leavitt said in her emailed statement.
Flashback: Trump received fierce backlash from Democratic Congress members in March after saying "any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion."
The intrigue: Trump denounced antisemitism at both events, but he did not mention CNN's report that accused Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, North Carolina's Republican nominee for governor, of numerous inflammatory comments on a porn website's message board a decade ago, including that he was a "Black Nazi."
- Robinson denies making such comments.
Go deeper: White House slams Trump for "Antisemitic, dangerous" attack on Shapiro
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from Trump's campaign.
